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M2 04 Liquid Limit Test & Liquidity Index

This document discusses the physical properties of fine-grained soils, including their various physical states (solid, semisolid, plastic, and liquid) defined by water content. It describes how the liquid limit, plastic limit, and shrinkage limit are determined through standardized tests. These limits - liquid limit (LL), plastic limit (PL), and plasticity index (PI=LL-PL) - characterize a soil's physical behavior and are known as the Atterberg limits. Sample problems are provided to demonstrate calculating these values from test data.

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Pzynae Florentino
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336 views

M2 04 Liquid Limit Test & Liquidity Index

This document discusses the physical properties of fine-grained soils, including their various physical states (solid, semisolid, plastic, and liquid) defined by water content. It describes how the liquid limit, plastic limit, and shrinkage limit are determined through standardized tests. These limits - liquid limit (LL), plastic limit (PL), and plasticity index (PI=LL-PL) - characterize a soil's physical behavior and are known as the Atterberg limits. Sample problems are provided to demonstrate calculating these values from test data.

Uploaded by

Pzynae Florentino
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1

CE161P
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF
SOILS

2
◆ PHYSICAL STATES AND INDEX
PROPERTIES OF FINE-GRAINED SOILS
◆ DETERMINATION OF THE LIQUID, PLASTIC
AND SHRINKAGE LIMITS

3
PHYSICAL STATES AND
INDEX PROPERTIES OF
FINE-GRAINED SOILS
4
PHYSICAL STATES OF FINE-GRAINED
SOILS
◆ The physical and
mechanical behavior of
fine-grained soils is
linked to four distinct
states: solid,
semisolid, plastic, and
liquid, in order of
increasing water
content.
5
PHYSICAL STATES OF FINE-GRAINED
SOILS
◆ At point B, the soil becomes so stiff that it can no longer flow
as a liquid. The boundary water content at point B is called
the Liquid Limit (LL).
◆ As the soil continues to dry, there is a range of water content
at which the soil can be molded into any desired shape
without rupture - this state is said to exhibit plastic behavior.
◆ But if drying is continued beyond the range of water content
for plastic behavior, the soil becomes a semisolid.
6
PHYSICAL STATES OF FINE-GRAINED
SOILS
◆ The water content at which the soil changes from a plastic to
a semisolid is known as the Plastic limit (PL).
◆ The range of water contents over which the soil deforms
plastically is known as the Plasticity Index, PI:
◇ PI = LL - PL
◆ As the soil continues to dry, it comes to a final state called
the solid state. At this state, no further volume change
occurs since nearly all the water in the soil has been
7 removed.
PHYSICAL STATES OF FINE-GRAINED
SOILS
◆ The water content at which the soil changes from a
semisolid to a solid is called the Shrinkage Limit (SL). This
is useful for the determination of the swelling and
shrinking capacity of soils.
◆ The liquid and plastic limits are called the Atterberg
Limits after their originator, Swedish soil scientist A.
Atterberg (1911).

8
PHYSICAL STATES OF FINE-GRAINED
SOILS
◆ The Liquidity Index (LI) is the ratio of the difference in
water content between the natural or in situ water content
of a soil and its plastic limit to its plasticity index.
◆ Liquidity Index (LI) = MC – PL / PI
◇ where: MC = Moisture Content
PL = Plastic Limit
PI = Plasticity Index

9
PHYSICAL STATES OF FINE-GRAINED
SOILS

10
DETERMINATION OF THE
LIQUID, PLASTIC AND
SHRINKAGE LIMITS
11
DETERMINATION OF THE LIQUID, PLASTIC,
AND SHRINKAGE LIMITS

◆ CASAGRANDE CUP METHOD – ASTM D 4318


◇ The liquid limit is determined from an
apparatus that consists of a semispherical
brass cup that is repeatedly dropped onto a hard
rubber base from a height of 10mm by a cam-
operated mechanism.

12
DETERMINATION OF THE LIQUID, PLASTIC,
AND SHRINKAGE LIMITS
◆ CASAGRANDE CUP METHOD – ASTM D 4318 (LIQUID LIMIT)

13
DETERMINATION OF THE LIQUID, PLASTIC,
AND SHRINKAGE LIMITS

◆ TYPICAL LIQUID LIMIT RESULTS FROM THE


CASAGRANDE CUP METHOD
◇ The best-fit straight line to the data points,
usually called the Flow Line, is drawn.
◇ The Liquid Limit is read from the graph as the
water content on the liquid state line
corresponding to 25 blows.

14
DETERMINATION OF THE LIQUID, PLASTIC,
AND SHRINKAGE LIMITS

15
DETERMINATION OF THE LIQUID, PLASTIC,
AND SHRINKAGE LIMITS
◆ PLASTIC LIMIT TEST – ASTM D 4318
◇ The plastic limit is determined by rolling a small
clay sample into threads and finding the water
content at which threads approximately 3mm in
diameter will just start to crumble. Two or more
determinations are made, and the average water
content is reported as the plastic limit.

16
DETERMINATION OF THE LIQUID, PLASTIC,
AND SHRINKAGE LIMITS
◆ PLASTIC LIMIT TEST – ASTM D 4318

17
DETERMINATION OF THE LIQUID, PLASTIC,
AND SHRINKAGE LIMITS
◆ SHRINKAGE LIMIT – ASTM D 427 AND D 4943
◇ The shrinkage limit is determined as follows. A mass
of wet soil, M1, is placed in a porcelain dish 44.5mm
in diameter and 12.5 mm high and then oven-dried.
The volume of oven-dried soil is determined by using
mercury (ASTM D 427) to occupy the vacant spaces
caused by shrinkage.

18
DETERMINATION OF THE LIQUID, PLASTIC,
AND SHRINKAGE LIMITS
◆ SHRINKAGE LIMIT – ASTM D 427 AND D 4943
◇ The mass of the mercury is determined, and the
volume decrease caused by shrinkage can be
calculated from the known density of mercury. The
shrinkage limit is calculated from:
◇ SL = 𝑀1−𝑀2
𝑀2
−
𝑉1−𝑉2 γ𝑤
𝑀2 𝑔
x 100

19
DETERMINATION OF THE LIQUID, PLASTIC,
AND SHRINKAGE LIMITS
◆ SHRINKAGE LIMIT – ASTM D 427 AND D 4943
◇ where M1 is the mass of the wet soil, M2 is the mass
of the oven-dried soil, V1 is the volume of wet soil, V2
(= mass of mercury/density of mercury) is the
volume of the oven dried soil and g is the
acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s2).

20
SAMPLE PROBLEM

21
SAMPLE PROBLEM 1

◆ The following results were obtained from a liquid limit test on a clay
using the Casagrande cup device. The natural water content of this
clay is 38% and the plastic limit is 21%.
Number of
Blows 6 12 20 28 32
Water Content
(%) 52.5 47.1 42.3 38.6 37.5

22
SAMPLE PROBLEM 1

◇ What is the liquid limit of this clay?


◇ What is the plasticity index of this clay?
◇ What is the liquidity index of this clay?

ANS.: LL = 40%
PI = 19%
LI = 0.895

23
END OF
DISCUSSION!
Any questions?

24

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